ASSYRIAN MONUMENTS. 85 



indicated by fishes; in pi. 31, fig. 5, there are streams 

 of water, indicated by fishes, issuing from the deity to 

 the shoulders of a kneeling figure; then pi. 31, fig. 7, 

 has a kneeling figure under a winged disc, the whole 

 framed in a continuous broad stream of water ; it has 

 also a stream which issues from the disc to the praying 

 figure, and another to the hand of a standing priest (?) 

 who points to the disc with his index finger.^ 



Putting all these considerations together, it seems to 

 me that the holy water and * aspergillum ' theory has 

 a balance of support in its favour. What would seem 

 of some importance in this discussion, is the fact that 

 the fir-cone (if it be a fir-cone) was not always the thing 

 that accompanied the bucket, for Layard's pi. 34,2 as 

 seen in fig. 2Zb, shows a different thing, although it has 

 two cones of some sort. The other elements are flowers 

 or buds ornamented with a rosette. Mr. Goodyear would 

 probably consider this branch emblematical of lotus 

 flowers and lotus buds. 



Then, in further support of this holy water theory, 

 Mr. St. Chad Boscawen ^ published the following notes 

 from cuneiform inscriptions : — " The white cedar with 

 holy water (me-mulli) is part of the charm." " May the 

 cup of holy water of Merodach endow him with health." 



' There is no good reason to suppose that those people did not sometimes 

 pray for rain, when a drought was on. 

 * ' Monuments of Nineveh,' first series. 

 ^ B. and O. R., p. 96, vol. 4, no. 4. 



